What is it?
The process of conducting
meetings successfully to ensure effective teamwork, quality decision
making, enhanced communication, improved morale and optimum efficiency.
When to use it
Quality Improvement Project Leaders should use this as an Aide
Memoir to assist them in planning and running team meetings, and
also to review and improve their meeting leadership skills.
Quality Improvement Team Members should use it to help them make the
most effective contribution to their team meetings, and to get the most out
of and help improve them.
All Managers and Staff who attend other business meetings should use
the guide to help them make all their meetings Quality events.
What does it achieve?
Meetings are an essential
part of business life. When you add up how much time you actually spend
in meetings, you may surprise yourself: middle managers typically spend
35% of their working week in meetings; for top managers the figure is
often in excess of 50%. So, if you are to maximise your managerial effectiveness,
it is essential that you get the best out of meetings that you attend.
However, for many people, meetings are seen as a Necessary Evil. You
will have heard them say "Not another meeting!" "Meetings
are just a waste of time", and so on. Think about the impact that
a bad meeting has on the organisation.
Suggested Ground Rules
Always agree some simple ground rules with the meeting participants
before the meeting proper starts. They make everyone conscious of the
need for appropriate meetings behavior, and allow everyone to make a
contribution to keeping the meeting on track by flagging infringements.
Using agreed ground rules helps this to be done in a constructive way
without becoming personal or emotional.
They also provide a means for a group to help the leader of the meeting by
flagging unproductive or otherwise ineffective leadership behaviors
that infringe the 'rules'. Here are some ideas to draw on; develop your
own too:
- Keep to time.
- Be candid and honest.
- Only one person to
speak at a time.
- Strive for consensus
decisions.
- Listen.
- Share responsibility for achieving the objectives of the meeting.
- Minimal paperwork; maximum face to face presentation.
- Critique not criticise.
- Avoid turning other meetings into problem solving sessions.
- Review achievements and process at the end of each meeting.